Kross gave no response. His muscles were tense beneath her touch, his mind elsewhere, unreachable.
She didn't push for conversation, she knew it was useless. Their connection was physical, transactional. Affection was a foreign concept to Kross. Love? He had none to give.
Sliding from behind the chair, Isolde straddled him, her silk robe falling open as she began to grind against him. Her hands roamed his body with practiced skill, slipping into his trousers, fingers curling around him, his phallus, trying to stir something—anything.
But Kross remained unmoved and emotionless.
Her lips brushed his neck, her breath ragged with frustration. She adjusted her position and guided him inside her, hoping the sensation would ignite him. She moved with urgency, desperation, bouncing on him with increasing force, her moans filled the room as if noise alone could draw him out of his mental cage and make him yearn.
Thirty minutes passed. Her thighs ached. Her breath came in short, sharp gasps. Still, Kross' eyes stared past her, like she wasn't even there.
Drenched in sweat, nearly trembling from exhaustion, she was about to give up when he suddenly stood, lifting her effortlessly. Without a word, he spun her around, bent her over the desk, and entered her from behind.
The sudden intensity made her cry out, but it wasn't passion she felt—it was frustration, confusion and pain. His thrusts were mechanical, brutal, devoid of connection.
And then… he stopped.
Mid-motion.
He stilled inside her, his breath caught, hands clawing deep at her hips.
Isolde had no idea what happened. He moved away from behind her.
"My Alpha?" Isolde turned to look at Kross who was putting on his pants, his back facing her. "W... what happened?"
"I will go out." he didn't explain any further about what he would do. "Lay down in the next room and rest."
"Where are you going?" Isolde tried to ask as they didn't finish the deed and he was leaving her.
Before opening the door, Kross turned to look at Isolde her eyes shone with anticipation thinking the alpha had changed his mind, "Also, don't come when I don't ask you to."
"Stay back." he said to the guards at the door, wanting to follow him.
He left and turned into his wolf and ran into the forest.
When Kross and Isolde were in the middle of their pleasure moment, Something came over him and he felt really disgusted by the moment and something felt like he was doing something super wrong, something he never felt before.
He couldn't fathom that thought which was too awful and foreign for him. He saw how hurt Isolde looked but he just couldn't stay there, he wanted to go far from her.
Isolde stayed back, her eyes never left the door after Kross left, like maybe he'd come back, but he won't.
For a second she stood frozen, the silence pressing in on her. Her jaw clenched. She took a sharp breath as her anger surged through the pain. She grabbed the scroll lying on the table, her hand shaking. She wanted to throw it for her anger, to see it smash against the wall. But the alpha would be mad at her. Her chose rose and fell, her breathing sharp and uneven. She slowly set the scroll back down neatly. Hot tears streaming down.
Then without warning, she turned and kicked the chair behind her, but was too heavy to fall. Isolde then turned and walked out.
***
The next day.
Lyra since she woke up, she had been diligently doing her garden duties. Though most of the hard work were already done, obviously by Tessa. Lyra's only work was watering the grass on the far end and sweeping the leaves. It was easier and manageable to her than unplucking or digging.
She did the watering in the morning after breakfast and sweeping at noon. Tessa while they were sweeping, she informed Lyra that Joy, the healer had asked her to get some herbs from her. The herbs were for her recovery.
"Let me get them for you," Tessa offered, gathering the leaves.
Lyra looked at Tessa for a second before she resumed sweeping, "They are mine I will get the myself." She then continued after seeing Tessa wanting to argue, They had been going forth and back about getting the herbs. Tessa's main argument was the main Packhouse was far and would take a troll on Lyra who had just recovered. "I will go after finishing sweeping."
"No. You should..." Tessa started before she stopped, Lyra's mind seemed made up, "Okay." She stood up. "Then leave now. I will finish this."
"I will finish this too." She was too stubborn.
"If you are late, you will miss dinner. It takes an hour to get there." Tessa reasoned.
Lyra was torn, she didn't want to leave all her remaining work to Tessa. Then again if she was late, she'd miss dinner. It was a long distance from the servants building and the packhouse and only the servants working in the packhouse's kitchen had a servants quarter in the packhouse. She thanked Tessa and then ran.
It took Lyra more than an hour with her weak physique. She went through the kitchen, servants, omegas were not allowed to use the front door, like she'll even be allowed near it with the warriors there. She met Esme, the head steward who glared at her with her big hawk eyes. Lyra explained quickly her business before she was treated like an intruder and worse dragged out or flogged.
Esme pointed the directions in a rushed, sharp tone that Lyra didn't have the courage to ask her to repeat and only had to rely on the bits and pieces she understood.
After a few minutes of following her memory, she arrived at The healer's room. She knocked and entered, the room smelt like herbs and portions. She saw Joy seated at the far end focusing on something intensely. She approached her.
"J...Joy?" she called out nervously.
Joy turned her head suddenly and looked at her sharply. On noticing the girl, she smiled, her face softening, "Oh! Hi, How are you feeling?"
"I'm doing well." she smiled.
"That's good." she then pointed at a jar on the opposite table, "You can take them." Joy went back to what she was doing completely ignoring her presence.
Lyra picked the jar then bowed slightly to Joy and whispered a soft "Thank you" before stepping out of the room.
As she walked down the hallway, she realized she had taken a different one from before, she turned the other way, a faint sound caught her attention, followed by low, breathy moans.
She slowed her steps, her brows drawing in curiosity. "What was that?" Though hesitant, she approached the room where the sounds were coming from, "Is someone injured?"
Standing by the door, she pressed her ear closer, trying to make sense of the sound, until "Damn it! Ugh!" a deep, masculine voice cursed out loudly and followed by the female voice. "Ergh!"
Her mind jumped to the worst. "A man was striking a woman!"
Without thinking, she pushed the door open and stormed in.